Polish Lower House Passes Abortion Bills Facing Likely Veto

Poland’s Sejm passed two bills on Oct. 20-21, 2026. The first, stripping criminal penalties for assisting abortion (up to three years under current law), cleared 217-213. The second, restoring abortion for severe foetal abnormalities by reversing the 2020 Constitutional Tribunal ruling, cleared 233-203. That ruling took effect early 2021, ending the 1993 compromise (life/health risk, rape/incest, severe defects) and creating a near-total ban that sparked mass Black Protests. Poland’s rules rank among the EU’s strictest, after only Malta. PSL’s Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy PM and Defence Minister, voted no on the first bill. Nawrocki’s office signaled intent to veto and said it would "objectively and substantively examine" the bills. The president is backed by Law and Justice (PiS). Contested: No contested claims found. Both bills still need Senate passage before the president’s desk. A veto override requires a three-fifths supermajority, leaving final outcome open.